


Wolf and Crow

by DawningStar



Category: Dreaming of Sunshine - Silver Queen
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-15
Updated: 2019-05-15
Packaged: 2020-03-05 17:42:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18833563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DawningStar/pseuds/DawningStar
Summary: After Kakashi and Tenzō resolve their long misunderstanding, Crow pays Kakashi a visit to make sure things are actually okay.





	Wolf and Crow

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Pepperdoken](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pepperdoken/gifts).
  * Inspired by [A Bridge to Span the Tide](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18388148) by [wafflelate](https://archiveofourown.org/users/wafflelate/pseuds/wafflelate). 



Few people have ever come to trouble Kakashi while he is paying his respects to his dead teammates. 

The shinobi across the field who scuffs his foot in polite warning wasn’t anywhere at all a moment before. The face is completely unfamiliar, bare of mask and in line with standard ANBU practice for a boring henge. 

Upwind of Kakashi, the purposely unconcealed scent is enough to confirm the man’s identity. Crow-taichō had been his first captain, in the early days when Kakashi put on the Wolf mask. 

It’s not polite to find out the identities of his ANBU teammates, and Kakashi has tried not to put together the details. But he knows Crow is a Hyuuga, and that Crow cared enough about an Uchiha summoner to hang on to the Crow mask through all the turmoil after the massacre. 

He also knows that the list of crow summoners is short. Sometimes it’s hard to keep himself from making connections. 

“Yo,” Kakashi greets him, with a wave that might be a little less flippant than usual. He doesn’t actually want to provoke Crow. After the argument and the spar with Tenzō, Kakashi can’t be surprised if another old ANBU teammate wants a word. 

He’d been wrong to assume that ANBU gossip knew as much about his recovery as it had about his decline. Apparently since he’s no longer around to be forced into admitting to his own status, the point where he stopped expecting to die hadn’t been half as dramatic and obvious to his old comrades as it felt to him. 

If he hadn’t gone to check on his students in the one place where Tenzō couldn’t help noticing his presence, his kohai might still be expecting Kakashi’s death for months. Years. 

Kakashi has always known his students are better kids than he deserves to have any part in training, and somehow they still keep startling him with what amazing competent people they are. He owes Shikako a tremendous debt. Hopefully she accepts the introduction to Tenzō as payment, because Tenzō has also grown into an amazing person who deserves better friends than Kakashi. 

Crow says, “Good morning,” like the most casual of acquaintances, but his hand flickers _report required_ in silent ANBU sign. 

Kakashi isn’t going to run away from this particular meeting, or force Crow to hunt him down. He nods a tired acknowledgement and follows, hands in his pockets. Neither of them say more until after they’re behind the layered seals that will keep out even ANBU-trained eavesdropping. 

“You and Cat had quite a talk, according to the ANBU gossip,” Crow begins. 

No denying that after the confrontation in the ANBU canteen. The betting pools must have made their winners happy. Kakashi might need to find out who won, so he can convince them to buy him lunch. 

“Cat told me what a relief it was to find out that you’re in good health.” Crow tilts his head, in the manner of someone who spends more time in his mask than out of it. “You wouldn’t lie to Cat, would you?” 

Considering the number of times Kakashi has lied about his health, redirected questions, glossed over problems, and generally not been willing to admit to weakness even when it might kill him, he can maybe admit Crow has a right to ask. “Not about this,” he assures Crow. 

Not when, much to his own shock, Obito’s eye has actually stopped killing him. It might as well be the miracle Shikako’s optimism named the project after. His genin are the best. 

Crow folds his arms in clear skepticism. “And you’re fine now.” 

“Better than fine, even,” Kakashi tells him with far more sincerity than usual. 

His old teammate snorts, a rude but perhaps excusable reaction. Kakashi doesn’t do sincerity very well. “So you decided to put your own health first and give up your eye?” 

Which, no, that would never have happened, and Crow saw Kakashi’s early struggles well enough to be completely certain of the fact. Kakashi shakes his head. 

He’s known this conversation or one like it was inevitable, but that doesn’t mean he feels ready to talk about any of it. Obito’s eye is his own business, a good surprise to hold in reserve...and besides, he doesn’t want all of Konoha to know about his new power. How he got it. 

They’ve already called him Comrade-Killer in the bars and when they think he isn’t listening. He doesn’t want to invite a repeat. 

Crow-taichō is different. His old teammate has a better right than most to ask and be answered. 

Kakashi just doesn’t want to say any of it. 

Maybe he doesn’t have to. “My genin are the best,” he tells Crow. This is objectively true and doesn’t hurt him to repeat. But also, if Crow has kept track of him at all it’s enough of a clue as to why Kakashi isn’t dying. His kids refused to give up on him. If Shikako and Sasuke hadn’t found their miracle so fast, Kakashi fully believes they’d have worked out a solution in sealwork instead. 

“Your genin,” Crow says, his eyes narrow with thought. “The two still in Konoha are Shikako Nara and Sasuke Uchiha.” 

This is true and Kakashi has nothing to add to it. He smiles. 

Crow heaves a sigh, as though it’s a little unfair of Kakashi to make him work all this out for himself. He must be out of practice. “If you taught them half of what you taught Cat, I suppose I could believe that they found some way to force you not to die.” 

That one cuts a little deep, but Kakashi can hardly protest it. “Better students than I deserve,” he agrees. Including Cat. Including Naruto, for that matter, whose stubbornness occasionally shows up in Shikako. 

For a long silent moment, Crow examines him, chin set with a critical frown. “And then, finding yourself healed, you didn’t think anyone would be interested to know that you’re no longer expecting to die.” 

More or less. Kakashi lets himself wince visibly, because his kohai Tenzō isn’t the only person in ANBU who’s put some effort into Kakashi’s continued survival. “I didn’t want to talk about it.” That’s no excuse but it’s true. “The gossip always used to be ahead of me. I sort of expected you to know.” 

The kind of shinobi who lasts longer than one mission in ANBU is observant and good at piecing together clues, and when sharp curious people get together of course they will talk. 

“The Godaime cares a lot more about medical privacy than the Sandaime ever did,” Crow says neutrally. 

She would, hospital-trained as she is. Kakashi takes this to mean that when ANBU such as Crow asked Tsunade-sama about his health and were rebuffed, they assumed all the news was bad. “It does need to stay classified.” How can he surprise an enemy if everyone knows how much better he’s doing? Not to mention the fact that Sasuke and Shikako don’t need any unfriendly eyes focusing on whether they could make an implanted sharingan work for other shinobi. “But I’ll ask her to confirm I’m not dying.” 

ANBU are such mother hens, even if most of them won’t show it. Kakashi is fully aware that this description includes him. 

“I’d appreciate that.” Crow uses the kind of dry professional tone that can cover a great many feelings. 

Kakashi is a little surprised no one broke into the hospital records. He would have. Most people, even in ANBU, don’t break into highly classified records in order to keep track of their comrades, apparently. Who knew? Kakashi is not most people. 

In fact, Kakashi has had a very strange distant relationship with ANBU ever since Tenzō got him exiled from it. Not being allowed to go on missions or speak to any of the teammates he’d worked with for years hadn’t made him feel any fragment less responsible for them. 

Against protocol, he’d kept Wolf’s mask. He’d stepped up his stealth and infiltration skills until not even ANBU noticed him sneaking in. Kakashi can only assume the Sandaime knew and found his efforts more of a help than a harm. 

He’d kept track of ANBU missions, kept track of injuries, on more than one occasion gone out and provided backup without actually admitting to being there. 

For a while Kakashi had thought that if Tenzō got into enough trouble, surely his kohai would have to be grateful for a save; maybe grateful enough to recommend Wolf’s return to ANBU. 

But he’d taught Tenzō entirely too well. Cat as a team leader was cautious and perceptive, patient and dedicated. He knew how to plan ahead and how to improvise when the whole mission went wrong, and he brought his teammates back. In his first six months of command his successful totals were higher than Wolf’s last six months, and the injury rate lower. 

That had hurt more than being forced out in the first place. 

Anyway, most ANBU do not have Kakashi’s flexible relationship with rules and regulations, and he should have told Cat and Crow he wasn’t going to die. He shoves his hands in his pockets awkwardly. “I wouldn’t have wanted you to worry, Crow-taichō,” he says, and means it as close to an apology as he can possibly manage. “You or Cat.” 

“Thank you for saying so, Wolf.” 

He sounds a little surprised, and maybe he should. Crow had been a good team leader, a good role model. Kakashi had trusted him with Tenzō. Kakashi hasn’t talked to him in five years. 

Possibly Kakashi has bridges to mend. 

There’s no chance either Tenzō or Crow missed the implications of Kakashi coming himself to check on his genin. He might as well use it to get them as much backup as possible. 

“On a completely different subject,” Kakashi says, “Hawk and Bat seem like good recruits. I hope you’ll look after them if they get in over their heads, the same way you used to look after Wolf.” 

Crow actually cracks a smile at this. “Right, the ANBU kids you’ve never met before.” 

Kakashi nods solemnly. “Wolf would go into ANBU headquarters for any reason in order to mess with Tenzō, you know.” He hopes at least a few people believe that, although Crow recognizes the truth. “I can’t say those two will give you any less trouble than Wolf did, but you’ll probably find them a more rewarding friendship than Wolf ever managed.” Kakashi knows himself for a difficult person, especially when someone is trying to help him. 

“I’ll do my best. But Wolf turned out pretty well in the end.” Crow somehow manages to make this sound like he means it. 

Kakashi squints at him, skeptical. 

“I’m glad to see you happy,” Crow tells him with all sincerity, and Kakashi has to make up an excuse fast to get away before his eye starts leaking.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Bridges and Towers](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19069351) by [DawningStar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DawningStar/pseuds/DawningStar)




End file.
